


By the Lake

by QueenOfTheMerryMen



Series: 10 Years Later [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Inspired by OQ, Prequel, Teen oq
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 08:07:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16036385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenOfTheMerryMen/pseuds/QueenOfTheMerryMen
Summary: In their freshman year of high school a chance meeting by the lake led to the start of something beautiful for Robin and Regina. Inspired by a manip by orchidfeathers on twitter.





	By the Lake

**_14 years before…_ **

 

Walking along the trail, Robin grimaced at the progress report in his hands. Handed to him in fourth period, one look at his teacher’s face told him all he needed to know about what lay inside. He’d shoved it in his locker not wanting to the day to be ruined but once the bell rang he couldn’t he decided to rip off he band-aid.

 

_English: D-_

_Science: C+_

_Math: C+_

_Physical Education: B+_

 

His father would not be pleased. Thinking of the disappointed look that was sure to come, Robin grit his teeth. Freshman year was not off to a good start.

 

With his grades weighing heavily on his mind, he’d decided to go to the lake. It’d always been his favorite place in town. Always quiet and secluded, it was the one spot where he felt like he could actually think.

 

He reached the end of the trail and saw the lake come into view. His eyes widened as he stopped in his tracks realizing that he wasn’t the only person there.

 

Sitting beneath the tree - his favorite tree, he might add - was a girl. Not just any girl though - Regina Mills. Storybrooke High’s resident genius.

 

He’d known her since kindergarten. The two of them had been in Mrs. Boyd class together, seated at the the yellow table in the back. He remembered that she used to have the biggest pack of crayons that she never wanted to share with the rest of the group. One day, fed up with her selfishness, he’d stolen them out of her backpack and passed them around at recess. She’d broken out in tears when she’d discovered what he did. It took the rest of the afternoon to get all those crayons back and the next day he found himself seated at the green table in the front. There so ended their history. Ever since then he’d kept his distance from Regina Mills.

 

But he’d always noticed her.

 

He was surprised to see her at his secret spot but not surprised to see her with her nose in a book. She was always reading, always studying something. As far as he knew the only time she spoke was to answer questions in class or to say something to her best friend, Mallory.

 

“Hey!”

 

He called out, causing her to look up, startled. The sunlight flashed against the rims of her reading glasses, and she slipped them off her face as he walked toward her. Scrunching up her face in distaste she asked, “What are you doing here?”

 

He shrugged. “I don’t know. What are you doing here?”

 

“Studying,” she said, gesturing toward the textbooks lying next to her feet. “I always study here after school.”

 

“Since when?”

 

“Since always,” she replied, annoyed. “It’s my spot.”

 

“It’s not your spot,” he laughed. “I come here all the time.”

 

“Not during the week,” she shot back. “I’m here every day and I never see you.”

 

He could see her starting to get worked up. A flare of passion was rising in her eyes. Her brows were scrunched together as she glared at him, crossing her eyes. Yet, somehow all he could think of was how cute she looked.

 

Maybe he just wanted a distraction from his grades or revenge for the kindergarten crayon debacle but suddenly he could think of nothing better than staying near her.

 

“Well, I’m here today,” he said, smugly throwing his backpack to the ground. “And I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”

 

Her jaw dropped in indignation. “You can’t stay here. I’m studying.”

 

“So study,” he replied, heading toward the lake. “Nothing’s stopping you.”

 

Picking up a stone near the edge of the lake, he glanced her way and saw that her face had gone red. Pursing her lips, she gripped the edge of her textbook tight and somehow he knew she was thinking of all the foul she would say to him if she’d had the nerve. But sadly, she just let out a seething breath and returned to her textbook.

 

Skipping rocks on the lake, Robin would occasionally look back at her sitting beneath the shade of the willow tree. He expected her to look annoyed at the noise he made, or at least be resentful of his presence. And she was at first. However, less than ten minutes later she’d returned fully to the task at hand, running her eyes over the lines of her book, occasionally writing down notes as she went, utterly and completely focused.

 

He might as well have been a ghost for all the attention she paid him.

 

Unsatisfied with her snubbing, he gave up on skipping rocks. Wandering back toward her, he sat on a root next to where she sat. She shifted as he came closer but still kept her eyes on her book.

 

“What are you studying anyway?” he asked.

 

“Biology,” she said.

 

“AP?”

 

She turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “Of course.”

 

He noticed that she seemed almost annoyed that he’d even questioned that she was in advanced classes.

 

“You take all advanced classes?” he asked.

 

“Yes,” she said, growing uncomfortable. “I like their pace.”

 

“Really?” he asked, dubiously.  

 

“Yeah,” she softly affirmed, nodding her head. “It’s harder but at least I’m not bored.”

 

He was silent for a moment, thrown off guard by her easy confidence and sincerity on the subject. From what he heard, the AP teachers really grind their students to the bone with longer essays, more reading materials and assignments. It sounded like a nightmare to him but it sounded like she actually enjoyed it.

 

“Report cards came out,” he mentioned. “How’d you do?”

 

“Fine,” she mumbled, her cheeks growing red.

 

Robin sensed her reluctance but only fed his curiosity. “What do you mean fine? Like B’s?”

 

“Something like that,” she muttered.

 

“Can I see?”

 

“Why?” she drawled, looking over at him.

 

“Because I want to know,” he said.

 

She sighed. “If I let you look will you leave me alone.”

 

Robin shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe?”

 

Rolling her eyes, she reached into her backpack, pulling out her report card. Eagerly snatching it up, Robin looked it over.

 

_AP English: A_

_AP Biology: B+_

_AP Algebra: A+_

_Physical Education: A+_

 

He turned to her, confused. “I don’t get it.”

 

“Don’t get what?” she asked, snatching back her progress report.

 

“If I had grades like yours they’d be taped to my chest,” he said. “But you barely let me see them.”

 

“Because they’re none of your business,” she said, shoving them into her backpack. “Besides every time I get an A everyone looks at me like I’m a freak.”

 

“That’s because you’re freaky smart,” he said with a smile. “Everybody knows that. They’re just jealous.”

 

“Yeah, right,” she mumbled, turning back to her science book. Her eyes remained fixed to the page but she didn’t take in one word, too distracted by the boy sitting next to her.  After a minute, she looked up again. “What did you get on your report?”

 

Robin shook his head. “My grades weren’t as good as yours.”

 

“But what did you get?”

 

“I’m not gonna tell you.”

 

“That’s not fair!” She glared at him. “I showed you mine.”   
  
“That was different. Yours were good,” he pointed out, his cheeks growing red when he realized he’d accidentally admitted that his weren’t good.

 

“Well how bad are they?” she asked. “B’s? C’s? D’s?”

 

He averted his gaze and her lips parted in shock when she realized just how bad his grades must be. “We’ve only been in school that long. How did your grades get so bad?”

 

Robin shrugged his shoulders, acting as if he didn’t care. “Maybe I’m just dumb.”

 

“You’re not dumb,” she said, tilting her head with an incredulous look on her face.

 

“How would you know?”

 

“I don’t know,” she softly muttered, looking toward the ground. “I just do.”

 

Silently, Robin wondered why she would think such a thing. He wasn’t freaky smart like her. Being in school bored him and studying was torture. Even if he wasn’t dumb, it’s not like he was book smart.

 

“I don’t do my homework,” he admitted.

 

“Why not?”

 

“I don’t know. I just… don’t,” he mumbled. “My dad says I’m lazy.”

 

His dad always said that when he brought home report cards. _You’re not stupid Robin, you’re just lazy_. He said that over and over. Maybe he was right but it’s not like he ever helped. His dad was always too exhausted from working the night before to help him with his homework. That had always been his mom’s job but she’d been gone for years now.

 

“You just need an incentive.”

 

He twisted his face up at her. “What?”

 

“An incentive,” she repeated. “A reason to do something. My dad says it’s always easier to force yourself to do something when you have an incentive.”

 

“Oh yeah?” he said, crossing his arms. “What’s your incentive then?”

 

Hesitation passed over her eyes. “Well… there’s this school I want to go to and it’s hard to get in.”

 

He raised his eyebrows. “What, like a boarding school?”

 

“No, a college.” She took a deep breath. “Harvard.”

 

“Harvard?” He couldn’t keep the the surprise out of his tone. “Like Harvard Harvard?”

 

“Yes.” She nodded. “Harvard Harvard. I know it’s a long shot but I’ve wanted to go there since I was little. I figured why not try.”

 

She remembered being little and one of her father’s old friends had come over for dinner. He’d had a nice car and a nice suit. He kept telling them all the trips he’d taken for his big fancy job that she didn’t even remember. She’d asked him how he gotten all his nice things and fun trips. Her father had shushed her but the man had just chuckled and said that he’d gone to the best college in the world. He flashed his class ring when he told her the name of it. Harvard.

 

“You’ll get in,” Robin said certainly.

 

She raised an eyebrow at him. “How do you know?”

 

“I don’t know… I just do,” he said, vaguely.

 

She smiled at him, blushing. “Thanks.”

 

A beeping sound came from her backpack and she grimaced, looking at the time. “I gotta go,” she said, standing to her feet. “My parents want me home by five.”

 

He watched her shoving all her books inside her backpack and was struck with the realization that he didn’t want this to be their last conversation. “So you come here every day after school?”

 

“Yeah,” she drawled, nodding her head. “Why?”

 

“No reason,” he said, shaking his head. _Just trying to find an incentive_.

 

The next week he’d return to the lake just after school and find her there in the exact same spot. This time he didn’t skip stones. He did his homework instead, occasionally corrected under her helpful eye.

 

It became a ritual of sorts for the two of them. An unspoken date. Together they’d sit beneath the willow tree, back to back, leaning against one another, speaking of their studies. Soon talk about school became talk about their lives, and their futures and their hopes. Once Robin got his license sitting became laying in the bed of his truck and leaning turned to kissing. Over time she became his incentive. To do better, to be better. To become someone worthy of her time and affection. Regina Mills’ love was Robin’s incentive for everything.

 

But in all those years he never once wondered what would happen if he lost his incentive…

 

  
[**_https://www.instagram.com/p/BDN7a6Dnori/?taken-by=hopeful_feathers_evilregal_**](https://www.instagram.com/p/BDN7a6Dnori/?taken-by=hopeful_feathers_evilregal)


End file.
